The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture for the building construction trade and can also be applied to wood working or furniture making Specifically the application relates to Glue laminated timbers or glulams.
A glulam is a solid structural wood timber that is constructed from two or more layers of dimensional lumber (i.e. lumber that is cut and kiln dried to standardized width and depths) that are bonded together with a moisture-resistant structural adhesive. The dimensional lumber members, or lams, are constructed so that the grain runs parallel to the length of the members.
Glulams offer advantages over large solid-sawn wood timbers. Glulams tend to have better dimensional stability than a solid-sawn wood timber. Larger solid-sawn wood timbers tend to go through dimensional changes as they dry. Glulams are made from smaller dimensional lumber that has already been dried, and therefore are dimensionally stable, before assembly into the finished Glulam. Glulams typically cost less than equivalent sized solid-sawn timbers because they are constructed from standard dimensional lumber.
Glulams have a distinctive visual appearance on the ends and two of the four sides and ends because the Glulam timbers are made from stacked dimensional lumber with different grain patterns. While this can often create a striking visual effect, it is not always desirable.